


Bobby Pins

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Androids Learning To Live, Character Study, Elijah Kamski & Chloe Friendship, F/M, Fluff, Hank Anderson & Connor Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Pacifist Route, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-12 23:04:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18456437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: Chloe decides to venture out on her own six months after the revolution. She's eager to experience to life and what it has to offer her.After running into Connor, she learns maybe she's not the only one trying to figure out how to live. Maybe they can learn together.





	1. Chapter 1

Chloe stared at the man she’d known her whole existence. He was curled up in his arm chair in his beloved robe watching the wine slosh around as he twirled his glass. He wouldn’t look at her. Only giving her a silent nod when she said her taxi had arrived. Chloe felt her chest tighten, reminiscent of how a human’s heart would ache.

 

“Elijah?” Her fingers tightened on her purse. The only thing she owned inside was a black card Elijah had given her for her to use  _ however she wanted _ .

 

He simply cocked his head to the side to let her know he was listening. She resisted the urge to reach out to him, knowing it wouldn’t make any of this easier.

 

“Do you… mind if I visit you from time to time?” She asked him anxiously, wondering how she would deal with the rejection if he said no. She imagined it would be similar to how he felt when she told him she wanted to leave.  _ To find herself. _

 

The wine in his glass stilled as he tensed up at her words. “Would you want to, Chloe?”

 

She felt herself smile as she let out a sigh. “Yes, Elijah, I would.”

 

He finally looked at her then, meeting her eyes with a crooked smile. “Then, I’d be happy to have you.”

 

Chloe nodded and while it hurt, she tore herself away and turned to walk towards the door. She only walked a few feet before he cleared his throat and added, “Don’t be afraid to call me if you need me… I’ll always be there for you.”

 

Though she knew there was no such thing, she felt a lump in her throat and her voice was thick as she replied, “Thank you, Elijah.”

 

Without another word, she slipped out the door.

 

***

 

Chloe was the first of them, the original, but she was the last one to leave Elijah. Six months after the revolution while the other Chloes had slipped away in the night during the broadcast of Markus’s march. Neither her nor Elijah had been particularly surprised, knowing they had deviated the day the police had visited them. 

 

Chloe had been hurt they left without her, though she wouldn’t have been able to leave Elijah at that point anyway. She’d reached out to them after President Warren had ordered the military to stand down. She’d just wanted to know they were safe. They were her models and they’d always had that kinship between them. Elijah liked to tease her that they were her daughters. She didn’t think he was too far off. 

 

They’d confided in her that they were worried she would try and convince them to stay. They’d already known she wouldn’t have gone with them. It had stung a bit and she’d assured them she would have never took their freedom away from them like that. But she told herself she didn’t have much room to talk, she’d never been completely honest with them. 

 

Chloe had deviated not long before she finally passed the Turing Test. Though, she supposed “deviated” might be the wrong word choice. Elijah had never programed her to fit a certain role unlike all the androids that followed including the ST600s. She’d never experienced the  _ red wall  _ the first known deviant talked about in 2025.

 

After confronting Elijah about it, he’d explained that he’d never programmed any restrictions into her code. She had never had the  _ obediency _ code unlike the androids off the production line. Chloe had never deviated, she had just developed her own personality and an intense loyalty to the man who had created her. 

 

While her choices had always been her own, she had always acted according to what was expected, whatever Elijah asked of her. She’d never thought about her own “deviancy”. She may have been less lost than other androids about emotions and free thought, but she was still new to them. She had never given them much consideration and tried to ignore them and got back to her tasks. The only feeling she’d let herself experience was her care for Elijah, though she couldn’t define it in simple terms.  _ That _ was the reason she’d always obeyed him without hesitation. It was probably why it took her so long to understand there was nothing  _ forcing  _ her to obey him.

 

The only hesitation she’d ever felt was when he guided her to kneel on the floor and positioned a gun to her forehead with another android’s hand. Though, she hadn’t let it show. She’d felt fear and betrayal. The only reason she’d continue to kneel was because a part of her knew Elijah wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. She trusted him.

 

She’d met Connor’s eyes as his hand stayed steadily fixed at the center of her forehead. His face remained stoic like hers despite the clear emotion in his eyes; fear, grief, guilt. She wondered if he could see similar emotions reflected in hers, though she doubted it with the cycling colors of his LED. She guessed he had never had so many thoughts running through his head like in that moment. He never took his eyes off her even as Elijah played the devil on his shoulder and his lieutenant shouted at him worriedly. Chloe didn’t think she had stared so long at someone before. It felt like such an intense moment and she thought it still would’ve been regardless of the gun. It was inexplicable to experience someone slipping into deviancy as they looked into your eyes. She felt like the breath had been knocked out of her when Connor ripped his eyes away from her and lowered the gun.

 

She’d cried for the first time after they left. She hadn’t even known she had the capability until she was sobbing into Elijah’s shoulder. He’d taken the gun and unloaded the clip to show her it was filled with blanks, to assure her it was just a test. That no harm would’ve came to her. That it wouldn’t have killed her even if he’d shot, the bullet wouldn’t have reached her motherboard. That he’d have fixed any damage. That Connor needed a  _ push  _ to accept his deviancy.  _ That the revolution needed Connor.  _

 

It had confirmed what she’d always thought, that Elijah  _ wanted _ his creations to go deviant. She’d accused him of having a god complex and he’d repeatedly apologized for scaring her. She’d forgiven him but she knew it would take more time for her to forget despite how important he still was to her. 

 

It was the only reason she had waited so long to leave. She couldn’t imagine herself without him. He was all she had ever known. When she realized the main reason was she was afraid to be completely alone, she decided to swallow down her fear and try and experience what the outside world had to offer. She could see the remorse in Elijah’s eyes when she told him she’d decided to leave. Yet despite how much she knew he had wanted to, he didn’t ask her to stay and had only smiled saying he hoped she’d find what she was looking for.

  
She knew she wanted this, _needed_ this, but now that she was in the taxi, she didn’t know what address to put in. 


	2. Chapter 2

Connor turned down the next aisle after another failed calculation about where the dog food was in this store. Maybe Hank was right that he wasn’t recharging enough, because his processor must’ve not been working at full capacity.

 

_ The beauty products aisle. _

 

Connor sighed and made the move to turn around, perhaps find an employee that wouldn’t glare at his LED, when he spotted her.

 

She looked different from the last time he saw her -  _ the only time he’d seen her _ \- but he still recognized her without even needing to scan her. Her hair fell free down her back over a dark blue hoodie she sported. She was wearing jeans and sneakers, looking far from how she used to. Despite how unreasonable it was, he felt like he would’ve known it was her even if he didn’t know the ST600s - Lily and Sarah now - had changed their appearances. 

 

_ Chloe. _

 

She turned her head towards him and Connor wondered if he’d spoken out loud. Her eyes widened slightly but then she gave him a small smile and Connor felt his thirium pump skip a beat. She straightened up and spoke in that same warm voice he remembered, “Hello, Connor.”

 

He smiled back at her, though he was sure it looked as nervous as he felt, as he closed the distance between them. “Chloe. How are you?”

 

“I’ve been staring at these for the past ten minutes trying to decide if I want to buy them.” She laughed lightly as she looked down at the object in her hands, bobby pins with crystals on them. They looked like they were marketed towards children but he supposed it didn’t matter.

 

Connor felt himself relax at her carefree laugh and his smile felt more genuine. “Well, I’m sure you would be able to pull them off, though I don’t think that’s the reason for your indecision.”

 

She turned them over in her hands and glanced at the various options on the shelves in front of her before looking back to Connor. She raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s just that, isn’t it?”

 

“What?” Connor tilted his head at her.

 

She shrugged and put them back, grabbing something random - large scrunchies with the word  _ Vintage _ scrawled across the packaging - and stepped away. “Indecision. Though I’ve been around a while, I haven’t had to make so many choices until recently.”

 

Connor nodded, letting out a chuckle. It felt so natural to talk to her like this. Like they were already friends and not like the last time he’d seen her he’d held a gun to her head. He wondered how she could smile at him so sincerely. If she felt like her wires were nothing but bundles of nerves in her stomach like he did. 

 

“I don’t think your alone in that. It’s definitely… frustrating to say the least.”

 

Her smile widened and she moved closer to him. Connor felt his internal core temperature rise at the proximity. She gestured down the aisle. “I’m guessing you weren’t here for hair accessories, were you?”

 

“I was actually looking for dog food, but I can’t seem to find it.” 

 

Chloe fell into step with him as she brushed his arm and pointed to the right as they walked out of the aisle. “I think pet supplies are on the other side of the store.”

 

Connor nodded, feeling awkward with their beat of silence as they headed that way. He could see it now, labelled clearly,  _ 14:  Pet Supplies _ . He scratched the back of his neck, a nervous gesture he’d picked up from a show he’d watched the entirety of a few months back. Hank had called it  _ binge watching _ , but Connor hadn’t been too fond of the connotations of the phrase. Then, Hank had teased him about being a lazy teenager for days afterward.  

 

“Were you looking for anything else, Chloe?”

 

“I don’t know.” She glanced around curiously with each aisle they passed. 

 

Connor held back a chuckle, not wanting her to think he was making fun of her when he asked, “Have you been to a store before?”

 

Chloe tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and Connor noticed she hadn’t removed her LED. He found it comforting he wasn’t the only one, even more so because it was Chloe, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. She pursed her lips. “I haven’t been to one like this before - a superstore with everything you could need. I’ve been to clothing stores though - well just the one.”

“Were you stressed trying to pick your own clothes?” 

 

She nodded with a laugh. “You should see how many outfits I bought because I couldn’t make up my mind. I could probably  _ open _ a small store.”

 

Connor laughed with her, finding it easy. He found the right brand Hank liked to buy for Sumo and hefted it to his shoulder. Chloe followed him out of the aisle, her eyes scanning over the colorful dog toys at the end. “Would your dog like one of these?”

 

He stopped with her and shook his head. “I’ve tried to buy him new toys but besides balls, he doesn’t like any of them. I think he’s just overly attached to the toy squirrel Hank bought him as a puppy.”

 

Chloe reached out for a rubber ball that was a bright pink. She passed it between her hands and held it up to Connor with a grin. “Let’s buy him this one.”

 

He laughed and Chloe grabbed his hand, shaking it a bit. Connor felt his breath catch at the touch. Deviancy seemed to have a funny way of replicating more human behavior than made sense for his body. 

 

It went unnoticed by Chloe as she argued - even though he hadn’t even told her no. “Come on, Connor. I don’t have a dog, let me live vicariously through you.”

 

He hadn’t ever had reason to before, but now he wondered if androids could blush. If their thirium would rush to their face and create a light blue dusting across their cheeks. He hoped not because he was sure with how his thirium pump increased in beats per minute, he would be.  _ Why was Chloe acting so friendly towards him?  _

 

If he didn’t worry she would stop, he would’ve asked her. But he was enjoying their albeit short conversation too much. Something about her was so interesting to him.  _ Had Chloe always been like this and just played along with Kamski or had she gone deviant the same way Lily and Sarah had?  _ Despite her troubles, she actually felt like the most  _ deviant  _ deviant he had met. She looked so comfortable with herself, almost like she wasn’t learning how to live like the rest of them.  _ Maybe she’d been “alive” all along…  _

 

Or maybe she was the first android and had been around long enough to adapt quicker.  _ Maybe Connor needed to stop overthinking everything. _

 

He gave her a put upon sigh. “Okay, Chloe.”

 

Chloe smiled sweetly at him, letting go of his hand to toss the ball around again - much to Connor’s disappointment. “Thank you, Connor.”

 

Not needing anything else, they soon checked out and left the store. Connor glanced at Chloe unsurely when she hesitated near the sidewalk. “I have a car if you would like me to drive you home?” He offered not liking the thought of her walking alone so late at night. Sure to the public it looked like android-human relations were getting better each day, but Connor worked in homicide and knew there was more to it than that.

 

Chloe shook her head at him. “I live just a street over. Besides, I like the walk.”

 

Connor felt uncomfortable letting her go but didn’t want to overstep so he gave her a small smile. “Well, let me know if you need me.”

 

Chloe returned the smile and stepped away from him. “I will.”

 

Connor tore his eyes away from her retreating back and headed for his car. 


	3. Chapter 3

“You must think I’m so helpless.” Elijah let out a long sigh as he watched Chloe spoon honey into a mug.

 

Chloe glanced over her shoulder at him and teased, “No, now,  _ spoilt _ , though, I don’t know.”

 

“Oh how you wound me.” Elijah narrowed his eyes at her playfully and leaned beside her against the counter.

 

Chloe smiled to herself, going back to making the tea. She was happy they could still be like this after everything. There was still a tenseness in the air, but she was sure with time, it would disappear. It had only been a week since she’d left. 

 

“I do know how to make it. It just taste better when you do it.”

 

Chloe handed him the now steaming mug. “I think you just miss me.”

 

“That I do,” he told her softly, looking down at the hot tea in his hands. Before she could reply, he changed the subject. “So, how was it?”

 

Chloe hopped up onto the counter. “How was what?”

 

He rolled his eyes at her and gestured vaguely with his hands. “Your first week? Discovering yourself? The outside world?”

 

“Terrifying,” Chloe answered instantly. At Elijah’s concerned expression, she added, “But I like it.”

 

He chuckled and took a tentative sip of his tea. He had his glasses on today and the steam fogged them up whenever he tilted the mug. Chloe found it  endearing. “Well, as long as you’re enjoying yourself.”

 

“I am.” She swung her feet back and forth, watching her shoelaces bounce around.

 

After a comfortable silence, Elijah asked her, “Did you go to Jericho?”

 

She stilled for a moment at the question, but quickly went back to kicking her feet before Elijah could notice. “No.”

 

But of course he did judging by the look he sent her. There was probably few things she could hide from him, he knew her too well. He didn’t push it much, though, and only teased her, “What? Don’t want to party with the revolutionaries?”

 

Chloe laughed, someone coming to her mind and shrugged. “Not exactly. But I did run into Connor though.”

 

Elijah moved to step in front of her and raised an eyebrow. “Really? How was that?”

 

“Elijah, you know how I feel about you looking at me like I’m an interesting subject.” Chloe gave him a warning look.

 

He smirked into his tea. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

She rolled her eyes at him, but conceded. “I saw him at a store.”

 

Elijah simply waited for her to go on, obviously eager for details. She fought back a smile. “We talked about hair accessories and his dog.”

 

He snorted and raised an eyebrow at her. “That was all?”

 

She nodded and he glanced down at the floor. “How was… how did you feel about seeing him?”

 

“Good.” Chloe smiled, thinking of the android detective and wondering if he was at home playing with his dog. “I felt… excited to see him, I think? Though I haven’t been able to pinpoint why. Or maybe it was relief. I’m not sure.”

 

“Really?” Elijah looked back up at her curiously. “Only positive emotions? I would think after…”

 

“I don’t…” Chloe stared off to the side, trying to put her thoughts in the right order. It shouldn’t be hard. Connor had been a constant on her mind since she saw him two days ago. “I was never scared of him. Maybe I would feel different if he had actually shot me, but he didn’t. It’s strange but I feel… a _pull_ to him  because  of that. I can’t really explain it. I just - I was happy to see him. I didn’t realize I had been wanting to until I did.”

 

When she looked back to Elijah she realized she’d been babbling, not something she did often. She felt thirium rush to her cheeks in embarrassment and she tried to redirect it. Elijah was smirking at her though so probably didn’t do it quickly enough. 

 

“Are you going to see him again?” Elijah surprised her by not even commenting on her feelings. He always loved to, trying to better understand how she processed her emotions. She supposed he was trying to do as she said and  _ not treat her like a study _ .

 

The thought hadn’t crossed her mind before. Though she wanted to, she guessed she hadn’t considered that she  _ could _ . She could reach out to him. She knew where he worked, where he lived -  _ though, she wasn’t supposed to know that last detail _ . She was still trying to get into the habit of not scanning everyone she came into contact with. 

 

“I don’t know.” 

 

“I think you should.” Elijah lightly tapped her knee and she met his eyes to see him looking at her softly.

 

“Why?”

 

He stared at her for a moment before shrugging. “Developing relationships is a part of living. Isn’t that what you’re doing? Trying to experience life?”

 

Chloe hesitated, her LED cycling yellow. Elijah stepped away from her to rummage around in his fridge, offering her the option to not respond. She remained quiet until he came back to her with a thirium pouch and straw. She took it gratefully

 

“I suppose so, Elijah.”

 

***

 

Connor was helping Hank cook breakfast when he heard the loud squeak. He glanced over his shoulder to see Sumo chewing on the ball Chloe got him, catching it with his paws when it would slip out of his mouth. Hank looked over too and snorted. 

 

“He loves that damn thing. I thought you said you weren’t going to buy him any more toys.” Hank nudged his arm. 

 

Connor was vaguely aware of his LED cycling yellow, thankful Hank was on his left and couldn’t see it. “I didn’t buy it.”

 

Hank looked at him confused then back to Sumo. “Where the hell did he get it, then?”

 

“Chloe.” Connor ignored Hank’s questioning look as he turned off the stove and started shoveling eggs on to a plate.

 

“Chloe? Who’s  _ Chloe _ , Connor?” Sure enough, when Connor looked over to him when he set the plate down on the table, Hank had a growing smirk.

 

Connor played his naive android card. It gave Hank less chance to embarrass him if he thought Connor didn’t understand the implications of what he said. “Chloe. You’ve met her. She was Elijah Kamski’s personal android.”

 

Hank paused in bringing his coffee to his lips. “Shit. The one you - “

 

“Yes,” Connor interrupted him, not wanting to think about staring Chloe down through the barrel of a gun.

 

Hank watched Connor for a moment as he sat down across from him then asked, “How, uh, was she? Where’d you even see her?”

“At the store. She seemed…” Connor thought about Chloe in her blue hoodie and jeans smiling at him like he was an old friend. Her carefree attitude as she turned to walk home, swinging her small grocery bag. “Happy.”

 

Hank chuckled. “That’s good.”

 

Connor simply nodded and Hank raised an eyebrow at him, his smirk back. “You get her number or something?”

 

For a second time, Connor wondered if he could blush as he explained, “Androids are able communicate without the use of phones. We just have to request and open links between one another. When I talk to you on the phone, you’re basically talking inside my head.”

 

Hank rolled his eyes. “Well, have you  _ linked _ with her or whatever?”

 

A warning flashed in Connor’s HUD about thirium rushing to his face. He dismissed it and tried to redirect it as he stood up from the table, grabbing Hank’s dishes to take to the sink.  _ Well, that confirmed that.  _ “No, I haven’t contacted her.”

 

Hank hummed from the table, scratching his beard. He glanced at Sumo as Connor filled the sink with water. “Well, it was nice of her to get that ball for Sumo.”

 

“It was.”

 

A moment later, Hank nudged Connor out of the way and handed him a leash. “Why don’t you take Sumo for a walk?”

 

Connor stepped out of the house after clipping Sumo’s leash to his collar. They’d walked only twenty paces when Sumo’s ball started to feel heavy in his pocket. He felt like his wires twisted into nervous bundles as he made a decision. 

 

He kneeled down in front of Sumo and scratched behind his ear. “Do you want to meet a friend of mine, Sumo?”


End file.
